District of Columbia
LGBTQ-inclusive social studies standards approved for D.C. public schools
State Board of Education votes unanimously to adopt ‘culturally responsive’ revisions
The D.C. State Board of Education voted unanimously on June 21 to approve a sweeping revision in the standards for teaching social studies in the city’s public and public charter schools that include a dozen or more LGBTQ-inclusive provisions.
The approval of the LGBTQ-inclusive standards took place just under two years after the D.C. State Board of Education in October 2021 also voted unanimously to approve a resolution introduced by gay board member Allister Chang.
Chang’s resolution calls for inclusive education standards that “reflect on the political, economic, social, cultural, and scientific contributions and experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.”
A statement released by the nine-member board last week says the changes in the social studies standards, which will apply to students from kindergarten through the 12th grade, will be put in place by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education. The action marks the first time the school system’s social studies standards have been updated since 2006, the statement says.
“The revision process presented an opportunity for the District’s social studies standards to be culturally responsive and anti-racist, impart important social studies content in the early grades, strengthen student knowledge of democratic principles and values, and promote civic engagement,” the statement says.
Chang, who played a role in drafting the social studies standards, called on members of the LGBTQ community to submit comments in support of the proposed standards at the time the education board invited the public to submit comments on the standards this past January.
“We got tremendously positive feedback on the inclusion of LGBTQ plus standards that we had in the draft, and that actually called for even more perspectives and experiences of LGBTQ+ people,” Chang told the Washington Blade on Monday. “Not only from parents and educators but particularly from current students,” Chang said in describing the public comments submitted.
“I think these are certainly the most progressive standards in the country right now at a time when many are actually pulling back and becoming more archaic,” he said, referring to the upsurge in anti-LGBTQ legislation and school policies adopted by many states across the country.
The statement released by the D.C. State Board of Education says the revised social studies standards were scheduled to be implemented in the city’s public schools and public charter schools starting in the 2024-2025 school year.
“In the District of Columbia, we are committed to social studies standards that reflect our student population and validate rather than deny their lived experiences and family histories,” said D.C. State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Christina Grant in the statement. “If we are going to remain the beacon and protector of democracy for the world, we must give our students the skills and knowledge they need to carry the torch,” she said.
Chang released to the Blade excerpts of some of the LGBTQ related provisions in the new standards as show here:
• Compare the efforts and impact of diverse groups and organizations inspired by the African American Civil Rights Movement to address inequalities in American society, including but not limited to the gay rights movement, the Stonewall Uprising, the American Indian Movement (AIM), the United Farm Workers, the Women’s Liberation Movement, the Asian American Movement, the Disability Rights Movement, the Chicano Movement and Latinx resistance.
• Analyze the daily lives of different individuals in ancient societies, including histories of same-sex relationships, and the evolution of gender roles and identities in civilizations.
• Describe the ways individuals with different backgrounds, including ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ability, national origin, economic status and beliefs are all part of the same community.
• Identify different kinds of families and caregivers within a community (e.g., single-parent, blended, grandparent-headed, conditionally separated, foster, LGBTQ+, multiracial) and explain the importance of demonstrating respect for all people.
• Evaluate the impact of significant political movements, including labor movements, the Civil Rights Movement, the Disability Rights Movement, LGBTQ+ liberation and women’s suffrage on life for District of Columbia residents.
• Explain the causes of World War II and the rise of fascism in Italy and Germany and explain how bias and prejudice led to the scapegoating of marginalized groups in Europe, including Jewish, Romani, Slavic, disabled, Jehovah’s Witness and LGBTQ+ communities.
• Compare the different experiences of servicemembers when they returned to the United States after the war, including white, Black, Latinx, Indigenous, LGBTQ+ and Asian American servicemen.
District of Columbia
Capital Stonewall Democrats set to celebrate 50th anniversary
Mayor Bowser expected to attend March 20 event
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, members of the D.C. Council, and local and national Democratic Party officials are expected to join more than 150 LGBTQ advocates and supporters on March 20 for the 50th anniversary celebration of the city’s Capital Stonewall Democrats.
A statement released by the organization says the event is scheduled to be held at the Pepco Edison Place Gallery building at 702 8th St., N.W. in D.C.
“The evening will honor the people who built Capital Stonewall Democrats across five decades – activists who fought for rights when the odds were against them, public servants who opened doors and refused to let them close, and a new generation of leaders ready to carry the work forward,” the statement says.
Founded in 1976 as the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the organization’s members voted in 2021 to change its name to the Capital Stonewall Democrats.
Among those planning to attend the anniversary event is longtime D.C. gay Democratic activist Paul Kuntzler, 84, who is one of the two co-founders of the then-Gertrude Stein Democratic Club. Kuntzler told the Washington Blade that he and co-founder Richard Maulsby were joined by about a dozen others in the living room of his Southwest D.C. home at the group’s founding meeting in January 1976.
He said that among the reasons for forming a local LGBTQ Democratic group at the time was to arrange for a then “gay” presence at the 1976 Democratic National Convention, at which Jimmy Carter won the Democratic nomination for U.S. president and later won election as president.
Maulsby, who served as the Stein Club president for its first three years and who now lives in Sarasota, Fla., said he would not be attending the March 20 anniversary event, but he fully supports the organization’s continuing work as an LGBTQ organization associated with the Democratic Party.
Steven McCarty, Capital Stonewall Democrats’ current president, said in the statement that the anniversary celebration will highlight the organization’s work since the time of its founding.
“Capital Stonewall Democrats has been fighting for LGBTQ+ political power in this city for 50 years, electing people, training organizers, holding this community together through some really hard moments,” he said. “And right now, with everything going on, that work has never mattered more. This gala is the first moment of our next chapter, and I want the community to be a part of it.”
The statement says among the special guests attending the event will be Democratic National Committee Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta, who became the first openly gay LGBTQ person of color to win election to the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 2018.
Other guests of honor, according to the statement, include Mayor Bowser; D.C. Council member Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5, the Council’s only gay member; D.C. Council member Anita Bonds (D-At-Large); Earl Fowlkes, founder of the International Federation of Black Prides; Vita Rangel, a transgender woman who serves as Deputy Director of the D.C. Mayor’s Office of Talent and Appointments; Heidi Ellis, director of the D.C. LGBTQ Budget Coalition; Rayceen Pendarvis, longtime D.C. LGBTQ civic activist; and Phillip Pannell, longtime D.C. LGBTQ Democratic activist and Ward 8 civic activist.
Information about ticket availability for the Capital Stonewall Democrats anniversary gala can be accessed here: capitalstonewalldemocrats.com/50th
District of Columbia
Owner of D.C. gay bar Green Lantern John Colameco dies at 79
Beloved businessman preferred to stay ‘behind the scenes’
John Colameco, owner of the popular D.C. gay bar Green Lantern, has died, according to a March 7 announcement posted on the bar’s website and Instagram account. The announcement didn’t provide a date of his passing or a cause of death.
Green Lantern manager Howard Hicks said Colameco was 79 at the time of his passing.
“It is with great sadness that Green Lantern announces the death of our beloved owner, John Colameco,” the announcement says. “Most of our patrons might have heard John’s name, but might not have known his face,” it says.
“He was a ‘behind-the-scenes’ kind of guy who avoided the limelight,” the announcement continues. “He preferred to stay in the back of the house with staff and team ensuring everything was running smoothly so that everyone out front was having a good time.”
The announcement adds, “As a veteran and businessman, John wasn’t a member of the LGBTQ + community, but he was one of the best damn allies our community has ever had.”
It says he “long provided spaces for the queer community to come together” since the 1990s when he owned and operated a popular restaurant on 17th Street, N.W. called Peppers.
According to the announcement, Colameco and his then business partner Greg Zehnacker opened the Green Lantern in 2001 in an alley off of 14th Street, N.W., between Thomas Circle and L Street, N.W.
The announcement points out that the Green Lantern first opened in the same location in the early 1990s before it later closed when the original owners decided to purchase and open other bars, one of which was the gay bar Fireplace near Dupont Circle. Colameco and Zehnacker were able to reopen the bar with the Green Lantern name.
“When Greg died unexpectedly in February 2014, John remained steadfastly committed to carrying on their vision and ensuring that Green Lantern remained part of the fabric of D.C.’s queer community,” the announcement says.
“Over the years, through Green Lantern, John has provided support to many community organizations, most notably Stonewall Sports, the Gay Men’s chorus of Washington, and ONYX Mid-Atlantic with Green Lantern serving as a gathering hub for their activities,” it states.
The announcement adds that Colameco’s family was planning a memorial for him in his hometown of Philadelphia.
“His Green Lantern family will celebrate his life by operating the bar as usual and we encourage you to stop by and join us,” it says. “Community coming together and having a good time – it’s exactly what John would want.”
District of Columbia
D.C. Black Pride theme, performers announced at ‘Speakeasy’
Durand Bernarr to headline 2026 programming
The Center for Black Equity held its 2026 DC Black Pride Theme Reveal event at Union Stage on Monday. The evening, a “Speakeasy Happy Hour,” was hosted by Anthony Oakes and featured performances by Lolita Leopard and Keith Angelo. The Center for Black Equity organizes DC Black Pride.
Kenya Hutton, Center for Black Equity president and CEO, spoke following the performances by Leopard and Angelo. Hutton announced this year’s theme for DC Black Pride: “New Black Renaissance.”
Performers for 2026 DC Black Pride were announced to be Bang Garcon, Be Steadwell, Jay Columbus, Bennu Byrd, Rue Pratt and Akeem Woods.
Singer-songwriter Durand Bernarr was announced as the headliner for the 2026 festivities. Bernerr gave brief remarks through a video played on the screen at the stage.
DC Black Pride is scheduled for May 22-25. For more information on DC Black Pride, visit dcblackpride.org.
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